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South East Asia – Vietnam Part 4 – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Ho Chi Minh City

Here we are in the former capital city of Vietnam. Back then it was called Saigon which is still what many of the locals call it today, but now, it’sÂ officially named Ho Chi Minh City.

During the vietnamese war Saigon was the control center for the south vietnamese forces and it was here that the war ended when the northern army stormed the presidential palace.

The city today is a bustling metropolis with tall buildings and lots of people, and even more scooters it seems.

The Independence Palace (Reunification Palace)

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The Independence Palace is the exact location where the war ended when it was captured by the northern army on April the 30th 1975. Tours are conducted around the extravagant rooms of the palace and also to the lower levels which contain the war rooms.

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The Cu Chi Tunnels Tour

The Cu Chi Tunnels are a small example of the expansive network of tunnels that were constructed by the Viet Cong. The Viet Cong basically lived in these tunnels and used them for everything from supply routes to hospitals and weapon factories. It certainly wasn’t pleasant living in these conditions but it gave them a significant strategical advantage.

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As well as being able to go down in the tunnels and get a first hand idea of what it was like, we are also shown some of the fatal traps that were positioned as a defence against intruding soldiers. You really don’t want to be stepping on any of these spiky surprises.

Shooting an AK47

There’s a shooting range on the site of the Cu Chi tunnels where you can try out some of the weapons that were used in the war. It will cost you about 1 US Dollar per bullet so it ain’t a cheap thing to do but if like me firing a gun isn’t something you get to do very often, then it is definitely worth the experience.